Cats vs Dogs: Which are more accident prone around the home?

Warren Lewis

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28th October 2016

"You just need to decide what you want from your pet and do what you can to prevent accidents involving either of them happening in the first place"

We are a nation of animal lovers. We love our pets dearly, especially cats and dogs. They offer companionship and comfort to millions thoughout the UK and are treated like members of our own family. So which ones would cause the most damage to your home?

To mark National Cat Day on October 29th, Admiral has looked at claims involving cats, and dogs to see which cause the most accidents and which could potentially cause the most headaches for proud homeowners.

Homeowners who want to get a pet but can’t decide between a cat and a dog might want to consider new research carried out by insurance expert Admiral. It has looked at all home insurance claims involving dogs and cats in the last year and has found dogs are a much bigger liability. In fact doggy disasters outnumber feline cat-astrophes by four to one.

In its research, Admiral looked at all its home insurance claims involving cats in the last year. It identified 51incidents caused by cats. Over the same period, its customers had registered 195 claims due to dogs.

Was the difference because there are more pet dogs than pet cats in the UK? Well according to the Pet Food Manufacturers Association there are around 16 millions dogs and cats in the UK, with dogs accounting for slightly more than half of them at 53%. So why did dogs account for 79% of all the accident claims Admiral received involving the two animals?

John McSherry, head of Household Claims at Admiral, gave his insight: “Our data suggests dogs are just more accident prone than cats. So if you’re house proud, are looking to get a pet and can’t decide between Fido or Mittens, I’d suggest you go for a feline friend.

That said, a dog can deter potential burglars, and while I’ve known some feisty cats in the past, I’m yet to meet a guard cat. I guess you just need to decide what you want from your pet and do what you can to prevent accidents involving either of them happening in the first place.”

The view that dogs are the more accident prone is supported by the types of claims involving the two different animals. Those caused by cats tend to involve them knocking things off shelves and tables, in particular, glasses of red wine or iPads and tablets. The other common cause of cat related claims is clawed furniture.

Dogs on the other hand tend to cause damage with their teeth, with phones and glasses being particularly popular. Dogs also tend to get over-excited and knock over furniture. And there is the problem that dogs are more likely than cats to have ‘accidents’ of their own around the home. This is probably because it’s a lot harder to teach one to use a litter tray!

Admiral has gone through all the claims to choose some of the more unusual cat and dog related ones.

Ten cats who have had better days

1. The cat who brought a pigeon into the house and ate the head on its owners peach coloured carpet
2. The cat who knocked over red candles during a power cut and walked the wax through the living room
3. The cat who came in with red paint on its paws and left a trail around the entire house
4. The cat which made its owner jump so much when she jumped up onto the kitchen counter where he was working, he spilt wine over his laptop and knocked it onto the floor
5. The cat who went to investigate when it’s owner discovered a leak under his bath and subsequently fell through the water damaged floor
6. The cat who attacked a black candle on its owners mantelpiece, realised the wax was hot and flicked molten wax all over the carpet below
7. The cat who knocked a full bottle of red wine all over a brand new, light grey carpet
8. The kitten which managed to turn on the hot water tap in a sink that had the plug in, causing the sink to fill and overflow
9. The cat which attacked its owner’s foot as he was carrying his laptop and filling the bath. Needless to say, the laptop got wet
10. The cat which repeatedly jumped against the glass in the French doors, eventually cracking the glass

Ten doggy disasters

1.The German Shepherd, weighing 33 kg who stood on its owners glasses, breaking them
2. The dog who got hold of a can of engine oils and emptied it over its owners stairs and landing
3. The dog who managed to switch on the hairdryer while its owners were out. The hairdryer was on the sofa and melted hole in it
4. The puppy whose owner is a model maker, who got hold of a small pot of red paint which he dragged through the hall and up the stairs
5. The dog which chewed two hearing aids belonging to the gentleman who was dog-sitting him, causing irreparable damage
6. The two dogs who got excited when their owner was painting the skirting boards, tripping her up and sending the pot of gloss flying over the sofa
7. The poor dog who gets separation anxiety and chewed holes in its owners carpet when left alone for an hour
8. The dog who gave birth to seven puppies while on her owners carpet
9. The dog who got over-excited when it saw another dog on the TV, jumped up and knocked it over, cracking the screen
10. The dog who knocked over a 30 litre fish tank in its owners dining room

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